Twin storms bring snow to Erie region, Northeast

• Sign up to receive severe weather alerts by email or text at GoErie.com/alerts.

David Bruce @ETNBruceSarah Stemen @ETNStemen

Two winter storms collided over western Pennsylvania on Monday, promising to bring significant snowfall to Erie for the first time since January.

Flurries began falling Monday evening in Erie and forecasters predicted the area would receive between 8 and 12 inches of snow by Wednesday afternoon.

"We expect two to four inches of snow to fall overnight and another three to five inches early Tuesday morning, with more of it falling south of Erie," said Karen Clark, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Cleveland. "By midday Tuesday it will become more of a lake=effect snow, and those amounts are more difficult to pin down."

The two storms are an Alberta clipper out of the northern plains and a more powerful low-pressure system working its way up the East Coast that is expected to dump 20 inches or more of snow in the New York City area by Wednesday.

Erie's storm is powerful enough to warrant a winter storm warning from the weather service that lasts until 8 p.m. Wednesday. It also forced changes to Erie International Airport flight schedules Monday and Tuesday.

According to the live OmniTrans flight monitor board provided by the Erie airport, three arrivals have been canceled Tuesday: Delta 4205 to Detroit at 12:06 p.m.; American 4845 to Philadelphia at 12:44 p.m.; and United 3822 to Chicago at 4:18 p.m. Delta and United flights scheduled to arrive after 5 p.m. Tuesday remain on time as of 6 a.m.

All departing flights Tuesday have been canceled as of 6 a.m. except Delta 4287 to Detroit at 5:28 p.m.

Check http://bit.ly/2mVhC3c for flight status updates.

Though northwestern Pennsylvania is set to receive significant snowfall, mobile emergency teams from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's northwestern region are on their way to provide support to the eastern Pennsylvania area Monday.

Equipment operators, supervisors and plow trucks from Erie and Crawford counties in District 1 were mobilized Monday to leave for Pike County in PennDOT District 4 to work on Interstate 84.

Erie County's mobile emergency team consists of three trucks, six operators, one highway foreman and an assistant county maintenance manager. The team from Crawford County consists of two trucks, four operators and one highway foreman.

Mobile emergency teams are organized throughout the state. Team members can be mobilized and dispatched quickly to help other PennDOT regions deal with large-scale emergencies.

"Meanwhile, District 1 has adequate resources and is prepared for the snowfall expected in northwestern Pennsylvania," according to a PennDOT District 1 news release. "Trucks and other equipment are ready. Salt, antiskid and other materials are in good supply. Crews will be working round-the-clock if necessary to keep the roads safe and passable."

Gov. Tom Wolf signed a Proclamation of Disaster Emergency on Monday in anticipation of the statewide snowfall.

The proclamation is not to be confused with a "state of emergency"— it does not prohibit vehicular travel on state roads, but encourages motorists to delay all unnecessary travel.

David Bruce can be reached at 870-1736 or by email. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ETNbruce.

Sarah Stemen can be reached at 870-1776 or by email. Follow her on twitter at twitter.com/ETNstemen.